ARCHBISHOP Mark Coleridge of Brisbane will lead a series of prayer evenings at various venues across the archdiocese as part of the Year of Grace.
The gatherings, being held throughout October and early November, are inspired by the Year of Grace theme – to contemplate the face of Christ.
Each evening will begin with an introduction to the Year of Grace by Archbishop Coleridge followed by a brief explanation of a particular prayer style from within the treasury of Catholic prayer traditions.
The prayer experience, which will include a scriptural text reflection by the Archbishop, will follow.
“In contemplating the humanity of Jesus, his face, we end up discovering his divinity. His is not just another human face in the crowd: it’s the face of God-with-us,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
“This is the face of the one who comes to meet us in the Gospels, which are our prime source of knowledge about Jesus and the prime locus of our encounter with him.”
The series will start with the Examen, developed by St Ignatius of Loyola, and over subsequent weeks will then range through Taize prayer, Evening Prayer, Lectio Divina and Praying with Images (in that order).
The convenor of the prayer evenings, the Faith & Life agency’s Mike Humphrys, said the motive behind their planning was to do something small but impactful.
“We have taken to heart what the (Australian) bishops always envisioned, namely, that this special time is not about staging big events, but rather about providing opportunities to encounter Jesus afresh through contemplation of his face,” he said.
“These evenings of prayer invite Catholics to come and spend time with Jesus allowing him to speak into their hearts.
“Because people pray in different ways, it was felt important to model different prayer styles.
“Our Catholic prayer tradition is so rich and yet often remains an untapped storehouse of spiritual wisdom, unless one gets introduced to a new way of praying through a retreat or time of reflection.”
Admission to the series of evenings is free of charge and everyone is welcome to attend.
A spokesperson said the archdiocese was encouraging people to travel beyond their parish or deanery borders, as people often lamented after the fact how they have missed out on these chances to spend time learning with both the Archbishop and fellow Catholics.
The first prayer evening will be held this Thursday, October 4, at Clear Island Waters (Sacred Heart Church).
After that follows St Catherine of Siena Church (Sippy Downs) on October 10, Sts Peter and Paul Church (Bulimba) on October 25, All Saints’ Church (Albany Creek) on October 31 and St Bernard’s Church (Upper Mt Gravatt) on November 8. All prayer evenings run from 7pm to 8.30pm.
For more information about the prayer evenings phone 3336 9174, read The Catholic Leader “Happenings” section or visit the website www.bne.catholic.net.au/yearofgrace
